On this day after Memorial Day, count me among those waiting to see what reforms are implemented in the management of the Fayetteville Veterans Home in the wake of chronic scandals that have rocked that facility.
Neglecting and abusing patients is as bad as it gets in any nursing home that supposedly exists to ensure the opposite result.
I asked a former employee of the adjacent Veterans Medical Center in Fayetteville why it is that the regional facility consistently gets high marks for its service and care while just next door, the 103-bed Veterans Home is constantly being hammered for shocking failures, up to and including broken bones and death.
He said: “It’s simple to me. The VA’s Medical Center is operated properly by the federal government while the nursing home is being managed by the state and its politics.”
As sad as it was to admit, I couldn’t help but see truth in his words, especially when I realize how many of our state’s 231nursing homes are regularly found deficient in many categories involving abuse and neglect.
SWEPCO’s line
Things have not settled down in Eureka Springs since SWEPCO announced its intentions to run a 345-kilovolt power transmission line through Carroll County. That’s one massive line of clearing and tall towers likely within view of some of that unique city’s special places and personal properties.
The public protests in the Switzerland of the Ozarks have continued and I suspect there are many more demonstrations to come. The latest was a large gathering downtown at the Basin Spring Park on Thursday. I strongly suspect others in Benton County where the proposed line is to originate also are having apprehensions.
It sure seems to me that SWEPCO and the Public Service Commission need to find a way to resolve this matter without enduring conflict.The local government already has voted the idea for this line down, as have the Eureka Springs Independent newspaper and lots of others whose lives will be affected by this enormous line close to the tourist town.
Besides, it’s always a very good thing that leads to good results when government and corporations choose to actually listen to the will of the people they both serve.
An ideal day
I’d forgotten how enjoyable it can be to spend a spring day at a theme park, especially when the weather cooperates.
It had been years since my last visit to Silver Dollar City in Branson, a popular destination for families across Northwest Arkansas. Spending several hours with a wide-eyed granddaughter made it all the more enjoyable.
I no longer board the tossy-turny rides now that I’ve officially entered the Golden Years. But it does an aging heart good to recall when that was about as much fun as a person could have. I now prefer the barbecue sandwiches, popcorn and icy drinks. It’s also a source of enjoyment to lean back on a shady bench and watch all the people pass. I did shell out several bucks to win my littlest sweetheart an armload of stuffed animals at the exhausting balloon pop. The expression on her face and wide smile was recreation for me.
Down near Hot Springs, the Magic Springs theme park also offers a full day’s fun on the rides, and water sports of sorts that have kept that enjoyable spot going and growing over the decades.
I recall back in the 1970s when Magic Springs was but a bright idea for thatNational Park City. And today, the park has expanded to the point of being a destination for families who want to spend a day riding the rides, or watching their children do so, or just munching, sipping and people-watching-you know, like me.
In Flippoworld
It’s not often you hear of a private business throwing a party for a bank. It’s usually flipped the other way: banks hosting clients.
Of course, I’d never known Pat Flippo before. He’s a man with a mystical Flippo-knack for understanding human nature.
And so I wasn’t that surprised to show up at a garden party in the immaculately manicured backyard of Flippo’s Senior Social Center in Johnson where the Flippos were honoring the staff of the Metropolitan Bank in Fayetteville.
Here in this peaceful wonderland, the flowers were blooming, the goldfish were swimming in the small pond and a host of hors d’oeuvres were spread beneath the gazebo.
Pat and Elizabeth Flippo have the only area private day-care center for senior citizens with cognitive impairments. And all those clients and their families were there, including 102-year-old Sarah and 98-year-old Pauline. Their aide, April, was making sure everyone had a wonderful time.
And I got to visit with all of them, along with folks like Prosecutor John Threet, Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce President Steve Clark and Bank Branch Manager Chris Bell. As I was leaving, there were tireless Pat and Elizabeth, thanking them for coming. I’m telling ya, folks, there appears to be something hospitably transcendent about the Flippo name.
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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected]. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.
Editorial, Pages 11 on 05/28/2013